Screw center-punch and nail-set.



PATENTED MAR. 10, 1903.

N. B-OND.

SCREW CENTER PUNQH AND NAIL SET.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 24, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

IFAIII III I fly. 5.

. INVENTOR. BY M921 07205.

WITNESSES. t 0am ATTORNEY.

THE NORRIS vzrqns ca, mom-Elmo, wnsnmm'cn. n. c.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NELS BOND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK I.ABBOTT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SCREW CENTER-PUNCH AND NAIL-SET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,559, dated March10, 1903.

Application filed October 24,1902. Serial No. 128,587. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NELS BOND, a citizen of the United States, residingat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Screw Center-Punches andNail-Sets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to carpenters and joiners tools, and has in viewthe construc- IO tion of a simple and convenient implement for properlylocating, directing, and punching holes into which screws arev tobeinserted.

My device is particularly serviceable in connection with the attachmentof hinges of doors and swinging lids to the frames, casings, or

other supports therefor.

As is well known, strap-hinges of various kinds are provided withcountersunk apertures for the screws, and the operation of hanging adoor so that all the supportingscrews shall be properly located andcentered to bring their heads within the countersinks flush with thesurface of the hinge involves no little time and labor.

The primary object of my invention is to facilitate this operation byproviding a timesaving device which shall properly locate and center andunder the blow of a hammer or similar tool punch a hole for each screw.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel nail-set whichguides the set on the head of the nail to prevent the latter fromslipping off the nail-head and marring the structure into which the nailis driven, and the device may also be employed for a number of othersimilar purposes.

Generally speaking, the invention consists of a tubeor casing containing a spring-pressed plunger having a tapered end normally held 0 withinsaid tube or casing and a blunt end projecting from one end of saidtube, said blunt end being adapted to be operated upon by astriking-tool, whereby said plunger, being adapted for a limitedlongitudinal movement within said tube, will project its tapered endoutwardly toward and beyond the mouth thereof; and my invention furtherconsists in the various details of construction and in combinations ofparts, all as hereinafter deout in the its collar in section; and Fig. 3is a modification of Fig. 1 with the adjusting thimble or collar turneddown to a point near the mouth of the tube and illustrating amodification of the head of the plunger and a plunger-retaining lug orpin for holding the plunger in its projected position when used as anail-set. Fig. l is a top plan view of the casing shown in Fig. 3.

In the drawings, 2 is a guide-tube provided with a tapered or truncatedcone-shaped extremity 3, designed to .fit the depression or countersinkwith which thescrew-apertures in strap-hinges and all similar aperturesare provided. The lower end or mouth of said tube is further providedwith the exterior threads 4, upon which athumb-operated collar orthimble may be screwed. The tube 2 is also threaded at its otherextremity to provide means for attaching the apertured nut or flangedcollar 6. Extending longitudinally within said tube is a spring-pressedplunger 7, preferably provided with a head 8, adapted to receive theblow from a hammer or other suitable driving-tool or to be operated byhand. In Fig. 3 this head is shown with the usual tapered end ofnail-sets best adapted for hammer-blows. The plunger 7 is provided witha tapered end 9 of suitable configuration to provide when driven intothe wood a cavity adapted to receive a screw of the desired size, orwhen used for other purposes, such as a nail-set, a point orcontact-surface of the proper angle plain or recessed. While I haveshown the plunger 7 as provided with a fiat end face 10, which adapts itto be used as a hole punch or marker, it is obvious that it may be madein the form of a drill centerpunch and modified for the various purposesfor which it may be adapted.

Within the guide-tube 2 is a spiral spring 11, one end of which bearsagainst the annular ring, ridge, or shoulder 12, with which the interiorof the tube is provided, and the other end of said spring is compressedagainst and bears upon an annular shoulder or ring 13, which may beeither an integral part of the plunger or a ring secured thereto. Thespring 11 tends to hold the plunger in the retracted positionillustrated in the drawings to permit of the adjustment of the taperedend 3 within a countersink over the head of the nail. As illustrated inFig. 2, the point of the plunger 7 extends to the tapered end of thetube; but this may be adjusted, by means of the flanged collar or nut 6,so that said point will not reach quite to the end of the tube. Suchadjustment would be desirable when using the device as a nail-head guideand nail-set. The collar or thimble 5 also provides a means forincreasing the size of the nail-head guide when it is to be used uponnails having heads slightly larger than can be accommodated within thetube 2 by simply turning said collar forward to project beyond thetapered end 3 of the tube. Said thimble or collar also serves as a guideto regulate the depth of insertion in countersinks of varying width anddepth. The spring 11 keeps the point of the plunger out of the way whileadjusting the tool and returns the plunger to its position after it hasbeen struck by a hammer or otherwise operated upon. a

In Fig. 3 the collar 6 and the plunger 7 ar shown with modificationsadapting them peculiarly to constitute v my device a centerpunch ornail-set. As shown, the collar 6 is provided with an aperture or hole 15and the plunger 7 with a projecting pin or lug 16, adapted to passthrough the opening 15. When said lug or pin 16 has been brought withinthe tube 2 through said hole 15 by slightly rotating the plunger, saidlug or pin will bear against the inner face of the collar 6 and preventthe plunger from being forced back by the spring 11 and will keep thepoint of the plunger projected. The point end of the plunger is alsoshown with the modification of being reduced to permit the insertionthereof into the smallest-size countersink or hole consistent withaffording the proper strength for said end.

In operation my device may, among other things, be utilized as follows:Instead of temporarily setting the door in position in order that theloose wings of the hinges attached thereto. may be used as gages to markthe points for the proper insertion of the screws in the casing andtheneither remove the door to bore or punch the holes, &c., the tapered end3 of my device may be inserted into the proper depression or countersinkand held perpendicularly to the face of the surface in which it isdesired to insert the screw, the hammer punch or plunger 7 being struckwith any suitable tool to drive the tapering extremity 9 into the woodto provide the necessary cavity, the resistance of the spring beingrelied upon to return said hammer-punch 'to its normal position afterwithdrawal.

I have referredto my device as adapted for use as a nail-set. As iscustomary, the nail is partially driven into the material and then thenail-set employed to drive the nail home, the purpose being to avoidmaking hammermarks in the structure; but the nail-set often slips,making ugly indentations, and thus defeating its object. By employing mydevice, however, and placing the tube end 3 over the head of the nailthere is no danger of the set slipping ofi or misdirecting the blow.

From the foregoing illustrations of the uses to which my inventionniaybe put it will be evident that its range of utility is not confinedthereto. It is further obvious that many modifications may be made inthe minor details of construction which will readily suggest themselvesto one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of thisinvention, which I therefore do not desire to limit to the specificconstruction herein shown and described.

' Having described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent--- 1. In a screw center-punch and nail-set, thecombination, of a casing, a plunger slidable and freely revolubletherein, the latter being provided with a center-punch portion and astriking head, means holding the centerpunch portion normally retractedwithin the casing and means non-resistant to impact upon the head of theplunger for locking said plunger upon the casing when the centerpunchportion is projected therefrom.

2. In a screw center-punch and nail-set, the outer casing, the plunger,freely movable within said casing, provided with a head extending out ofsaid casing and a striking or indenting point normally held within saidcasing, means upon said plunger and casing for adjusting theindenting-point in variable retracted positions, and means non-resistantto impact upon the head of the plunger, for holding the indenting-pointprojected out of the casing.

3. In a screw center-punch and nail-set, the combination, of a casing, afree rotating and reciprocating plunger therein provided with IIO anormally projected striking-head and a nor- 4:. In a screw center-punchand nail-set, the

combination, of an outer casing, a plunger freely rotatable andlongitudinally movable therein, said plunger being provided with a linsertion of the casing in a countersink or destriking-head and acenter-punch, adjustable pression.

means limiting only the retractile movement of thespindle, for normallyholding its point near the open end of and within the casing, a gageupon the open end of said casing which cooperates With saidlast-mentioned adjustl unto set my hand, this 18th day of September,1902, inthe presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ing means, whereby the head of a nail, screw NELS BOND or the like isheld against lateral movement with relation to said adjusted point, andsaid gage being also adapted to limit the depth of I In presence of- W.P. OWENS, F. P. BLAOKMAN.

In testimony of the foregoing I have here-

